


Chapped Lips

by SonjaJade



Series: Celestial Ciphers [6]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, Family coming to visit, Married Fluff, New Years, holiday celebration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:15:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21955729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonjaJade/pseuds/SonjaJade
Summary: While Mei and Alphonse ready the imperial palace for Edward and Winry's visit for the New Year celebrations, Emperor Ling and Empress Lan Fan escape the chaos by taking a walk in the royal gardens, all covered in glittering snow. But when Ling decides to kiss his wife's automail hand, chaos finds them anyway.Part of my Celestial Ciphers universe but you don't need to read that to understand this. Illustration included!
Relationships: Lan Fan/Ling Yao, Mei Chan | May Chang/Alphonse Elric
Series: Celestial Ciphers [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/38555
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20
Collections: FMA Gift Exchange 2019





	Chapped Lips

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pirate_Jenna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pirate_Jenna/gifts).



The Imperial Palace is buzzing with activity. Edward Elric and his family are coming from Amestris to spend the New Year. As Alphonse and Mei lead the charge to make their palatial home look as impressive as possible, Emperor Ling and his Empress, ‘Lady Fan’ as she was known to the people, are enjoying a walk through the snow-covered gardens to escape the chaos inside.

As the winter white landscape glints in the stray patches of sunlight peeking through the clouds, Ling smiles to himself. “I love the peace and stillness of snow,” he comments with a content sigh.

Lan Fan pulls her cloak around her. “It’s quite beautiful, but this cold steel arm just chills me to my bones.” 

Ling stops them. “Do you want to go inside?”

Lan Fan laughs gently at her husband’s concern. “Not in the least! I’d rather take the cold out here than the storm in there!” she says, looking toward the palace.

Once he catches on that she’s teasing, he pulls her into his arms and holds her. Lan Fan closes her eyes, gently moves his long thin beard away and snuggles under his chin, soaking up his warmth. They say nothing, simply enjoy their time together in the royal garden, listening to the brave birds chirping and the scamper of rabbits in the ornamental bushes. 

A distant clang rings out from the back of the palace, followed by the sound of Mei shrieking. The two of them share a laugh before parting and resuming their walk around the grounds.

“How are you feeling today?” Ling asks as his hand slips into hers.

“I’m keeping food down, and I’ve been sleeping better as of late,” she says as her automail hand rests on her stomach, not yet curving with the burden of her second pregnancy. “Zixin is nearly completely weaned now, so that helps as well.” She looks again toward the palace as Mei’s voice reaches their ears again. “And he doesn’t seem to mind his _yi-yi’s_ antics inside!”

Her heart swells when Ling offers a short prayer of thanks to the gods. “I still cannot believe that we’re about to have two children, and that I have the most beautiful and amazing woman in the universe as my wife- my _only_ wife.” He turns toward her and takes both her hands. “If I achieve nothing else in my life besides this, I am the happiest I’ve ever been.” 

Lan Fan tilts her head back and accepts the sweet kiss he offers her, cherishing the moment. All too soon they’d have to go back inside, where their toddling son, frantic sister, and Amestrian brother-in-law would be demanding their attention. And even though they appear to be alone in the garden, there’s an entire squad of royal guards keeping watch over them. This was alone as they were likely to get, unfortunately.

Suddenly, a gust of freezing wind blows through the bare trees, rattling the branches, swirling their hair and Ling’s beard around them and sending a shiver up Lan Fan’s body. Her husband decides it’s time to find Zixin and have a round of hot tea under the blankets in their bed when another gust blows a medal pinned on his collar to the ground.

“I want to have the seamstress make an insulating sleeve for your automail,” he comments, still kneeling. He kisses her flesh hand. “Maybe it will help keep you warmer.” He brings her other hand, the icy steel one, to his lips and presses a kiss there- and becomes stuck as tight as cement to it.

“Uh-oh,” he mumbles, his eyes wide as he attempts to disengage himself from her.

Lan Fan’s mouth drops open and she stares in disbelief at the scene before her. Ling’s confused grunts and the gleam of saliva welling up around his puckered lips is absurd, and she’s overcome by a fit of giggles that turns into all out laughter. Ling tries to tell her it’s not funny, but the way his words come out muffled and panicked makes her laugh even more.

“The most powerful man in the entire country,” she squeals, “and here you are powerless!”

He frowns and she tries to get herself under control. She awkwardly helps him to stand and reaches for a bell inside her clothing to summon one of the guards, who has to fight a grin of his own when she requests that he brings hot water at once. As he bounds away, Lan Fan declares the gods have literally stuck them together for eternity. Ling, however, doesn’t find her jokes to be as funny as she does.

At last, the guard returns with a steaming kettle, and he carefully pours the water on the back of the Empress’ hand in an attempt to warm the metal without burning Ling’s lips. But the water splashes and splatters onto his cheeks and nose, and Ling takes the kettle and burns his lips himself to get free.

When he wipes his face and mouth with the towel the guard brought with him, Lan Fan begins to laugh again. Ling looks like he has the pox! Red dots cover his face and his mouth is swollen and raw. He crosses his arms and pouts, saying he’s going to take their son to enjoy the tea without her, and make her help Mei since she won’t stop laughing at him.

She kisses his cheek, chuckles still coming from her chest. “It’s a fair judgement. And I still love you.”

He relents and takes her arm, guiding them back toward the palace. “I couldn’t do that to you. Even if _you’re_ eager to tease, _I_ am not.” He looks pointedly at her- “ _I_ am not cruel.” She pats his arm and apologizes, and he squeezes her hand. All is forgiven.

“Do you still love the snow?” she asks as they approach the rear of the palace.

“Of course!” He leans in and whispers in her ear, “I’ll just have to save my more amorous affections for when we’re in bed.”

This time they share a mischievous grin as the servants welcome them back to the warmth of their imperial home. They take their son, some tea and snacks, and pile into their warm bed to share stories and play-time.

And later, after Zixin has gone to bed in the nursery, he brings her to ecstasy- and makes her blood run with a heat that rivals that of late summer.


End file.
